Tunnicliffe Wins Sailing's Top Honor

November 13, 2009

Anna Tunnicliffe, who won a gold medal in the Laser Radial class at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, received an even bigger honor this week when the International Sailing Federation named her the 2009 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year.

Tunnicliffe, of Plantation, received what is considered the sport's most prestigious award Tuesday at the ISAF annual conference in Busan, South Korea.

Torben Grael, of Brazil, the winning skipper of the 2009 Volvo Ocean Race, was the men's recipient. The awards were based on their performance from Sept. 1, 2008 to Aug. 31, 2009.

"I'm honored to win such a huge award," Tunnicliffe said. "It's a great way to top off a fantastic year, and I'm very excited."

Since winning the gold medal, Tunnicliffe has continued to excel in the Laser Radial, and she has also skippered a number of different boats in match-racing events.

Her accomplishments included winning three gold medals and a bronze in the ISAF Sailing World Cup circuit, as well as the inaugural ISAF Sailing World Cup trophy in the Laser Radial.

She won the Laser Radial North American Championship and finished third at the Laser Radial World Championship.

The US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics member also won gold medals at the US Women's Match Racing Championship and the North American and Caribbean Nations Cup Regional Finals.

Women's match racing debuts at the 2012 Olympics in London, and Tunnicliffe hopes to represent the United States in that event in the Elliott 6 meter.